12.1 |
Security Sector Reform
1485.
On 22 July,
Mr Brown made a statement to Parliament on the future strategy
for
Iraq, as
described in Section 9.7.1360
He stated
that, in response to “changing needs”,
the UK had
now embedded more than 800 UK personnel within the Iraqi
command
structure.
He continued:
“The focus
of the 4,100 forces still in southern Iraq is now on completing the
task
of training
and mentoring the 14th Division of the Iraqi Army in Basra …
Other
remaining
military tasks … include … continuing to develop the capacity of
the Iraqi
navy and
marines …”
1486.
On 19 August,
Mr Nigel Haywood, the British Consul General in Basra, wrote
that
the first
US police training teams had deployed in Basra.1361
Their first
impression of the
IPS had
been “positive”.
1487.
On 26 August,
Mr Haywood reported a “milestone”: “the first visit downtown
in
civilian
vehicles (albeit armoured Land Cruisers with a Mastiff escort), and
also the
first visit
to the Governor’s office, for nearly two years”.1362
Mr Haywood
wrote that that
showed the
UK’s confidence in the ISF, although acknowledged “we will be able
to
demonstrate
greater confidence, when we are able to travel in civilian vehicles
without
a UK
military escort”.
1488.
Mr Haywood
reported that police training continued and had enabled the IPS
to
produce a
“Policing Plan for 09/10”. Forensic training also continued and a
two‑week
residential
course had begun “introducing experienced IPS trainers to
leadership
development
to help them run new courses” later in 2008.
1489.
Mr Haywood
also said that the contract to build the new Basra Central Prison
had
been signed
“after weeks of delay”. It was due for completion in a
year.
1490.
In his
evidence to the Inquiry, Mr Haywood described policing support
at that time
as
“community policing, use of forensic evidence, building up forensic
laboratories”.1363
He
said:
“Arguably,
those weren’t what was immediately needed in the period
post‑Charge
of the
Knights, but it laid the groundwork for now what is becoming an
increasingly
good
policing system. If that hadn’t happened, then there would have
been nothing
to build
on.”
1491.
In a video
conference on 11 September, Mr Brown told President Bush
that
training of
Iraqi forces in Basra was “going well” and that the UK would
“finish the job”.1364
1360
House of
Commons, Official
Report, 22 July
2008, columns 660‑679.
1361
eGram
32273/08 Basra to FCO, 19 August 2008, ‘Basra: Weekly Report – 19
August’ .
1362
eGram
33105/08 Basra to FCO, 26 August 2008, ‘Basra: Weekly Report – 26
August’.
1363
Public
hearing, 7 January 2010, page 27.
1364
Letter
Catsaras to Gould, 11 September 2008, ‘Prime Minister’s VTC with US
President,
11 September’.
399